


Sing Me to Sleep

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [73]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, Family Fluff, M/M, Musicians, Prompt Fill, Sick Character, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 12:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7052425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for Hurt/Comfort prompt: <i>Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard +/ any, playing music to cheer up himself or someone else.</i></p><p>In which Rodney babysits a sick Madison, and John comes over to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sing Me to Sleep

The four most disagreeable words in the world: “You owe me, Mer.” Rodney was certain he had in fact owed his sister something at some point, but surely he’d paid that back a thousand times over.

 _I’ll drop her off at one. Thanks_. Jeannie hung up before Rodney could protest.

He’d been planning on spending the weekend with John, the first time they’d been able to just hang out together since Rodney’s run-in with the mandarin oranges. Now he was being saddled with his sick niece, who would require all his attention, and he wouldn’t see John at all, which meant there’d be no kissing.

 _I could still come over_ , John said when Rodney called to cancel. 

“What? Why?”

_To help you out._

“Oh. Well, if you’re sure. Jeannie said she’s not contagious, but you never know about these things.”

_See you in an hour._

Rodney knew he was grinning, and he was glad no-one was around to see it. John continued to surprise him, and had proved himself more than just a one-night stand. He was sexy, in a slinky kind of way, but he was really smart too. And the fact that they were both hobby musicians was really cool. Rodney kept discovering new things he liked about John. He almost seemed too good to be true.

Madison was the first to arrive, with glassy eyes and a temperature. Jeannie got her set up on the couch with her Captain America fleece blanket and all her meds.

“Thanks so much for doing this,” Jeannie said. “It’s just overnight. I’m texting you the number for the pediatrician, just in case her fever gets worse.’”

Rodney’s phone _binged_.

“Just keep pushing the fluids. She’ll eat a little broth, but not much else. You know how to reach me.” Jeannie kissed Madison on the forehead. “Be good for Uncle Mer and I’ll call you later, okay?”

“We’ll be fine,” Rodney said. “This isn’t my first time at the sick kid rodeo.”

“It’s your first time solo,” Jeannie said. 

She looked like she might change her mind about going, and Rodney couldn’t blame her. A writer’s symposium? He was glad that Kaleb was finally a published author and everything, but really? Rodney was certain he was getting the better part of that deal.

“I won’t be solo. John’s coming over.”

“Oh. Really?” Jeannie’s gaze sharpened, her attention fully on her brother for the first time since she walked through the door. “Isn’t that interesting?”

“No, it isn’t. He’s just going to hang out for a little while.”

“Right. Kissing is okay, but don’t do anything that will emotionally scar my daughter for life, okay? I can’t afford the therapy bills.”

“Ha, ha. You’re hilarious. Don’t you have to leave?”

“I do.” Jeannie kissed Madison again, and then gave Rodney one as well. “Tell John I said hi.”

“Will you just go already?” Rodney pushed her out the door, then looked at Madison in sympathy. “Your mother is a lunatic.”

Madison nodded. She looked ridiculously adorable bundled up in her blanket, her curly blonde hair in disarray. “I don’t feel good,” she said.

Rodney consulted the medication list. “You have to wait another thirty minutes before you can have more Children’s Tylenol. How about a cool pack for your head?”

“Okay.”

Rodney fetched the cold pack and wrapped it in a washcloth before putting it on Madison’s forehead. “Is that better?”

Madison nodded again, and sent the cold pack slipping. 

“Hey, you need to lie still.”

There was a knock at the door, and Rodney blushed like some kind of love-sick schoolgirl, sneaking her boyfriend into the neighbor’s house. He tried to get himself under control before he opened the door. 

“Hey, John, it’s…mmph.” 

John immediately pulled Rodney into a deep kiss, his tongue mapping every contour of Rodney’s mouth. 

“Um. Hello to you to,” Rodney said when John finally pulled back.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day.” 

John’s cheeks were a little flushed, and if Rodney’d had an empty apartment, there would already have been naked things happening. As it was, he ushered John inside and introduced him to Madison.

“I’m sick,” Madison said. “Uncle Mer is taking care of me.”

“I bet he’s doing a great job,” John replied in all seriousness.

Rodney consulted the list. “Okay, it says here you should have a little broth right now. I’ll warm it up.”

“I really like your blanket,” John said to Madison as Rodney moved into the kitchen. “You’re a fan of Captain America?”

“He’s a hero,” Madison said. “He always does the right thing. Sometimes I do the wrong thing, and then I have a time out.”

“I think it’s hard for regular people to do the right thing every time.” John sat on the end of the couch. “It’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them.”

Rodney poured the broth – organic vegetable, like that was going to make the kid feel better – and kept an eye on John and Madison while he put together a little lunch tray. John was pretty good with kids, which was another mark in his favor. And probably not surprising, given that he was a teacher. Of course, he taught college kids. Little girls like Madison were in a whole other category. There was a six year old diva at the Conservatory that had the voice of an angel, and the propensity for throwing howling fits when she didn’t get her way. Girls were scary.

“Here’s lunch.” 

John helped Madison sit up, and Rodney set the tray carefully into place. He encouraged her to eat as much as possible, but she only got a quarter of the way through the broth before she pushed it away.

“I don’t feel good,” she whined.

“Time for medicine, then.” Rodney measured out the proper dosage for a four year old in the little plastic cup and made sure Madison drank all of it. “Can you take a nap?”

Madison shook her head.

“How about a song?” John asked. “That always made me sleepy when I was your age.”

“Yes, please.”

Rodney cleared away the tray, and eavesdropped from the kitchen. John didn’t have a classically trained voice, and his tone was a little flat, but Rodney enjoyed listening to him sing anyway. 

“This is a song my mom used to sing to me, and her mother sang it to her when she was small.” John cleared his throat, and then he began to sing very softly.

_Seoithín, seo hó, mo stór é, mo leanbh_  
_Mo sheoid gan cealg, mo chuid gan tsaoil mhór_  
_Seothín seo ho, nach mór é an taitneamh_  
_Mo stóirín na leaba, na chodladh gan brón_

Rodney was aware that his mouth was hanging open, and he snapped it shut. He wasn’t sure what language John was singing in, though it sounded like Gaelic. And he sounded different, not the same voice he used when he was singing on stage. It had a lilt to it that Rodney had never heard before, almost as if John was singing with an Irish accent.

_A leanbh mo chléibh go n-eirí do chodhladh leat_  
_Séan is sonas gach oíche do chóir_  
_Tá mise le do thaobh ag guídhe ort na mbeannacht_  
_Seothín a leanbh is codail go foil_

It sounded lovely, whatever it was. Rodney tried to imagine John as a small boy, his famous mother singing him that song in the same lilting voice. He had to admit it was a compelling image.

“It’s pretty,” Madison said sleepily. “What does it mean?”

John sang it again, this time in English.

_Hush-a-bye, baby, my darling, my child_  
_My flawless jewel, my piece of the world_  
_Hush-a-bye, baby, isn't it a great joy_  
_My little one in bed without any sorrows_

_Child of my heart, sleep calmly_  
_And well all night and be happy_  
_I'm by your side praying for blessings on you,_  
_Hush-a-bye, baby and sleep for now_

By the time he reached the last verse, Madison was sound asleep. Rodney was leaning against the counter, chin propped up on his hands. 

“I didn’t know your family was Irish,” he whispered. 

John eased himself off the couch and stood on the other side of the counter. “Black Irish, my mom used to say. She called me her little changeling, because of these.” 

He gestured to his pointed ears with an embarrassed shrug. Rodney leaned forward and kissed John, hands on the counter to balance himself. 

“Do you know anything else in Gaelic?” he asked, curious.

“ _A rún mo chroí_ ,” John murmured against Rodney’s lips.

“What does that mean?” 

John just smirked enigmatically, and kissed Rodney again.

**Author's Note:**

> **Songlist**
> 
> [Seoithín, Seo hó](https://youtu.be/kD4r67jFIow)
> 
> **AN:** _A rún mo chroí_ means ‘secret of my heart’. John is one romantic bastard. ::grins:: The idea of him having an Irish background came to me while I was washing dishes, and so I had to have Grace singing to him in Gaelic. I had to. You understand, right? ::nods::


End file.
